Start white thread at the end of the silkworm gut and build the tag first. Strip a length of fine oval silver tinsel back to its bare core, tie that core in from underneath so the tinsel itself begins even with the barb, wrap a smooth thread base and lay five edge-to-edge turns. Stripping the tinsel to the core at both ends is the whole trick here: it lets the tag start and stop without a bulge under the thread.
Tie in the oval silver tinsel, the copper blue flat tinsel and the light blue silk floss together at the front of the tag, keeping all three strands parallel so they never cross, and wrap back to the tag. Wrap the floss to the hook point, then fold both tags forward and back over themselves and bind them down. Folding the waste ends rather than trimming them is what builds the gradual taper the body sits on. Burnish the silk smooth, then wrap the oval first, three turns evenly spaced and angled, with the flat tinsel tight behind it.
For the tail, pick a forest-green dyed golden pheasant crest whose arch matches the topping you plan to use at the front, flatten the stem and tie it centred on top of the hook. Switch to Uni 17/0 Trico and stack the veils: a golden pheasant crest sub feather at about half the tail length, an Indian crow at half that again, and a single jungle cock tip on top. Tie in a stripped ostrich herl by the stem, build a small base and wrap five edge-to-edge turns for the butt.
Switch to Semperfli Nano Silk 6/0 hot white to secure the four-part rib. A strong flat thread lets you apply real torque to the tinsels without cutting them. Tie in small oval extra-strong silver, then the notched copper blue flat tinsel with the copper side up and the thin part of the notch even with the butt, then the small flat gold embossed tinsel. Add the light blue floss and the fine oval blue tinsel on opposite sides so the body builds evenly.
Wrap the silver oval over the taper for six evenly spaced turns and mark where the third rib lands, because that mark is where the folded white schlappen goes in by its tip. Change to Nano Silk 24/0 white, burnish everything smooth, then wrap the light blue floss forward behind and in front of the hackle. Lay the ribs on in order, silver oval first with the third turn sitting to the right of the hackle stem, copper blue tight behind it, gold embossed beside that, and finally the fine blue oval centred between the ribs.
Palmer the schlappen tight against the silver oval, sweeping the fibres back with your fingers as you go, then wrap out the remainder as a collar in edge-to-edge turns. Strip the fibres off the top of the hook down to the stem and sweep the rest downward so the wing has a clean bed to sit on.
Set two large jungle cock feathers back to back as an underwing with the tips even with the last veil on the tail, then mount the married wing: florican bustard, bustard dyed white, black and royal blue, maroon red turkey, green argus pheasant, royal blue turkey and a topping of argus pheasant, each section slightly longer than the last so the wing tapers. Add married wood duck and blue goose sides, a folded blue guinea fowl throat, jungle cock cheeks, a bronze mallard roof straddling the wing, Indian crow, a green golden pheasant crest topping and blue macaw horns. Cover the white head with black thread, cement it, and once dry finish with 5-minute epoxy.